7 Must-See Sessions At PIE 2015

PIE recently released their list of educational seminars for their 2015 convention coming up from March 29 – April 1. We scanned the seminar list and did some research of our own to hand-pick these 7 sessions that we wouldn’t miss. Not registered for PIE? You can register here. Or, don’t register and research these topics on your own.

7. SF Park: Lessons Learned from a Market-Priced Parking Experiment

Monday, March 30 | 9:15 am – 10:15 am

Presenter:Michael Manville, Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University

Description: Mike Manville got his training in parking planning at UCLA and has done considerable research on Disabled Parking, variable pricing programs and their impact on cruising, and other such parking adventures. His frank review of just how much on the ground affect these programs have may have you scratching your head.

Why you can’t miss it: Market-priced parking is not just important for street parking. The idea that pricing parking based on demand can optimize your operations and fill your spots applies to the off-street industry as well. Learn the ins and outs of variable pricing from an expert.

6. Parking Construction in the Year Ahead and its Impact on Revenues, on and off Street

Description: PIE’s resident numbers guy tells us where we’ve been, where we are going, and why. Are we going to grow or contract in the next few years? He hasn’t been wrong yet. Join Dale in a spirited discussion of new construction of garages, technology growth, and where we will be. Is the equipment you are going to buy the future, or only a bridge.

Why you can’t miss it: Forecast the future of the parking industry beyond seasonality. If demand will decrease over the next few years, now might not be the best time to invest in a lot of new equipment. If the market is growing, this session can help you prepare to accommodate even more parkers.

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5. Revenue Control Systems Review 2015

Monday, March 30 | 9:15 am – 10:15 am | 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Tuesday, March 31 | 8:00 am – 9:00 am

Description: Confused about which Revenue Control System to buy? Here is a place to start. Each vendor exhibiting at PIE has been given 15 minutes to present their newest and best. Then you will be able to go to the exhibit hall and see it in person. As vendors sign up, we will be scheduling them in these PARCS Primers.

Why you can’t miss it: Even if you don’t think you’re in the market for a new revenue control system, you could hear about a new technology that would streamline your operations, integrate with online reservations to bring you more revenue, and more. We suggest taking notes!

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4. Automated Parking Best Practices & Applications

Description: Automated Parking Garages provide an excellent alternative to standard brick and mortar facilities. Often they are faster, less expensive, and FIT in places conventional garages simply cannot. Come listen to experts extoll the virtues of these mechanical marvels. They work. They are reliable, and often enable you to proceed with a project that is otherwise impossible.

3. 7 Reasons the Parking Industry is Under Attack Like Never Before

Description: What are the 7 biggest threats to the parking industry in 2015? Surprise, it is no longer the garage across the street! Join this session and learn how to gain market share and grow your business despite the challenges to parking created by transportation in the digital age.

2. The Importance of Online Branding (and Conversions)

Description: People are moving towards pull marketing as opposed to push marketing. Push meaning you’re going to the consumer; pull meaning the consumer is coming to you. More companies should now be focusing on pull branding, or online branding. This engaging session will prepare your business for the next 5 years.

Why you can’t miss it: Consumers are increasingly looking for parking online or via mobile. Signs and billboards are no longer effective for bringing parkers to your facility. Establishing an online and mobile brand is necessary to succeed in this consumer environment.

1. Technology and Parking Operators

Description: Using High Tech to bring back human touch to operations. Guidance, Collections, Reservations – All add up to a Parking Aura. See how operators and owners can use technology to give a modern, satisfying experience to their customers. Operators have realized that its all about people, and they’re leveraging technology to bring humanity back to parking.

Why you can’t miss it: Parking is not just about operations, it’s also about attracting parkers to your facility. Keeping up with the technology that consumers are used to in other facets of their lives, such as mobile guidance and reservation software, is key to providing a positive customer experience.

ParkingExec will be at PIE! Look forward to a recap of best sessions and live tweets.

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